A tent can be very large and can be used for providing a shelter and environment for large gatherings and celebrations such as, for example, concerts, theatrical events, wedding receptions and conventions. The tent generally includes a shell, formed from one or more fabric panels, that is supported by a frame made of numerous structural members. The structural members may include vertical legs that define the walls and rafters that extend at an angle relative to the vertical legs and toward a peak of the tent to define the roof.
Many of the structural members are formed from extruded aluminum box beams to reduce weight while structural strength is retained. Some extrusions include C-channels formed at the corners of the box beams. The C-channels receive enlarged edges of individual fabric panels that combine to form the shell of the tent.
However, when the structural members are cut to length, the ends of the structural members, and particularly the C-channels can become burred. Additionally, the rafters can be dropped or banged during assembly or transportation such that the corners of the C-channels at the ends of the structural members provide a sharp or bent edge. If the C-channels are burred or the corners bent, the fabric panels can be caught on the burs and corners and then tear as the fabric panels are fed along the length of the rafters.
To prevent tearing of the fabric panels, the ends of the rafters are typically manually deburred or unbent after the rafters are cut to length. However, this process can be very time consuming. Further, even if the ends have been deburred, the corners can still be damaged as described above, and the user may not realize that a corner of the C-channel has become sufficiently bent or damaged to snag the fabric panels during assembly.
The present invention provides improvements to structural members for forming tents to prevent the fabric panels from being caught on burs or bent corners of the rafters. Embodiments of the present invention also provide more cost effective methods of avoiding necessary time consuming secondary deburring.